Swords and Scandals
by ithilien princess
Summary: how is life at court and marriage suiting Eowyn and Faramir
1. The scandal

Dislcaimer: I don't own any of the characters, and I apologise if no one likes what I do with them.  
  
This fic is my first and dedicated to my friend Catherine who told me that the first chapters were too cheerful, and gave me an idea to carry on the story with.  
  
Eowyn stared out of the window, from the window of the Stewards house; she had a perfect view of the Pelennor fields. To look at them now, no one would know that a huge battle between the armies of Mordor and the Men of Middle Earth had taken place. The grass grew again, the bloodstains had disappeared, and life went on, all trace of the battle gone, except the memories. And although life had gone on for Eowyn, nothing would ever make her forget that day. For all the horrible memories she had, Theoden's death, maimed horses and mangled bodies, she still was grateful for it. For she had lived her dream, she had won renown among the men, through slaying the Witch King, her fear of being caged forever had disappeared for a while, she was free. Which was a good thing, since she saw no way for her to win renown now. Her marriage to Faramir had shown her that. He loved to talk to her of battles late at night when it seemed that they were the only two people in Middle Earth. Or take her horse riding in Ithilien, where they raced each other and were equals in every way, but once they were at court, it was a different matter. Since she was wife to the Steward of Gondor and Lady of Emyn Arnen, he expected her to act 'in a way befitting her rank' as he had put it. When ever there were sword fighting or horse riding competitions, Eowyn was expected to sit by Queen Arwen, smile and clap daintily whenever anyone won. This annoyed her greatly, since in Rohan, being a female in a solely male household, she had been allowed to join in, and she often won, especially the horse riding. She loved Faramir, but this was the one thing they argued over. He had even tried to get her to give up her ceremonial sword that showed her status as a shield maiden of Rohan. By giving up this, Eowyn felt she would be giving up her identity, her spirit almost. Even though as Faramir had said, she was no longer a shield maiden, but a Lady of Gondor. They had been arguing over this for weeks, she had eventually persuaded him to let her wear it for the first anniversary of King Elessar's coronation. First she had tried reasoning with him, which didn't work, then sulking, that didn't work either, so she tried reasoning with him again. Finally, she told him that since she felt he was denying her a feeling of identity, she would deny him something, she would not perform her duties as his wife until he agreed to let her wear it, he hadn't even lasted two days.  
So not only had she won the argument, but she had discovered his weakness, he desired her too much. She didn't mind this, it gave her a bargaining chip to get her way, but it also helped her disguise her weakness, how much she desired him. Her wedding night had been an interesting affair, she thought as she remembered it. She'd had butterflies in her stomach all day; she was more scared about her wedding night than she was her actual wedding. The stories she had heard from the women at Meduseld, the pain and uncomfort it caused, and bleeding! How could something that made you bleed be so wonderful? She knew the men enjoyed it, her brother wasn't a particularly discrete ladies man, neither was Theodred. The way they talked about it, it was the most wonderful thing in the world, but it made you bleed! That had kept coming in to her mind. She also knew the both Eomer and Theodred preferred women with experience. More often than once had she heard Eomer say that he wasn't looking forward to his wedding night, having to worry about the pain you caused the woman and the scared look on her face wouldn't exactly be a big turn on. So not only had she worried about the pain, but also the fear of displeasing Faramir had caused her great anguish as well. He was a man of high status and although he didn't appear to be as much of a womaniser as her brother and cousin, she knew that he wouldn't be untouched like she was. She needn't have worried though she thought with a laugh. Faramir had done everything he could to relax her, he seemed to understand her fear, almost as though he was scared too, although it was he said, because he didn't want to hurt her. She giggled.  
  
'Giggling, my Lady?' Faramir entered the room smiling cheerfully but looking rather tired; he had just had a long meeting with the King. ' And there's no one here! Come, share the joke, what were you thinking about?'  
  
' Our wedding night,' she replied.  
  
'Was it funny, I didn't mean it to be.' Looking slightly confused and upset now; he walked over to where she was sitting by the window. ' I wanted it to be special.'  
  
'Oh it was special. It was, truly. I wasn't laughing at that, I was just remembering how scared I was and now I think back, I really had no reason.' She smiled up at him, 'Being your wife is a pleasure in every way, which I thought it wouldn't be.' Faramir bent down and kissed her gently,  
  
'Every way?' he whispered in to her ear as he began to nuzzle her neck.  
  
'Every way!' she whispered back, now she could feel his hand slip down into her dress. There was a loud knock on the door. He broke away from her with a groan,  
  
'Come' he called out in his Stewards voice.  
  
'Begging your pardon my Lord, the king's compliments, he desires your counsel. He also said to tell you that the Lady of Emyn Arnen may wish to dine with the Queen tonight, as he may be keeping you well in to the night, for which he sends his apologies.' He bowed at Eowyn. She nodded, resigned to an evening of polite and mindless chatter with the ladies of Gondor, where any mention of bed brought blushes, and swords or fighting, glances of distaste around the table. She knew they despised her, no matter what the Queen said. Faramir had laughed when she told him this.  
  
' Of course they are not jealous.' He had replied, ' they just can't understand why the Steward of Gondor should take a wild shield maiden from the North to be his wife. You are everything that they are not, which I why I love you, though they cannot see it.'  
  
The messenger bowed again, and left. Faramir drew her to him. 'I'm sorry.' He whispered, ' I had planned to spend a relaxing evening alone with my wife, but apparently not.'  
  
' You had better make this up to me.' She replied.  
  
'I will, I promise. Tomorrow, I am taking you back to Emyn Arnen. How does that sound? Only until the celebrations start though, but still, that's over a month away. A month of sword practise, riding like a man, being the woman you really are. The woman I love.' She stared at him, then squealed with delight,  
  
'Oh Faramir, really, no more sharing you with the King, or pretending to be something that I'm not.' She then stopped and stared at him. 'Wait, how can you love me for being the wild shield maiden, but yet want me to act like a Lady?' He sighed.  
  
'I love the shield maiden in you, and I love the fact that I have found and equal in you, which is fine when we are not at court, but in court, there is a certain image that a Steward and his wife must uphold. In Gondor, women do not equal men, you would have been Queen of Rohan if both Theoden and your brother had been killed in the battle at Pelennor right?' She nodded, ' you also grew up in and around war counsels, nothing was hidden from you, though you are a woman. You were also taught to fight and ride like a man, as a tradition, but we do not have those traditions here in Gondor. We have others, no woman can be present at a council of war, and women who can fight are scorned upon. Being the Steward of Gondor, I must uphold these customs, however wrong I believe them to be.'  
  
'You believe them to be wrong?' she asked.  
  
' Yes, meeting you has made me realise how much I despise most women, I find them dull, they seem to have no passion, or soul to them, they just exist. Unlike you, you have both a soul and passion. I have also come to embrace your theory that those without swords can still die upon them, so when we have a daughter, she will learn to fight, just like her brothers shall.' He smiled and kissed her on the nose. 'But now duty calls, be polite tonight, and I will see you later.' He squeezed her hand, turned and left the room.  
  
Eowyn turned back to the window, smiling at what Faramir had just said. So he wanted lots of children, that was good, since she and her maid had concluded this morning that she was indeed with child. He also didn't believe in the customs, that was interesting, and at least now she knew why he expected her to act that way, she would try harder to act as the customs dictated while she was at court, she decided. Then maybe Faramir would let her spend more time in Emyn Arnen. Oh, how she was looking forward to that. Tonight should be easier to bear, instead of concentrating on the mindless chatter; she could plan her stay. Although it was supposed to be their main home, in the 7 months that they had been married, only 3 had been spent there. She loved it there, she could be who she wanted, do what she wanted. Occasionally, she spent all day riding. She remembered the picnics she and Faramir had been on while on their 'honeymoon', he had taken her to all the romantic spots in Ithilien. Also, she didn't have to share Faramir with anyone, he was hers, Emyn Arnen was their world, and no one else existed in it. Unlike in Minas Tirith, she couldn't ride, unless it was side-saddle, and if she was seen wielding a sword, well! She giggled as she remembered the scandal that had created a few months ago.  
  
She'd been doing a few sword exercises in the gardens when the Ladies Silmarien and Vidumavi came upon her. The sight shocked Lady Silmarien so much that she fainted. While Lady Vidumavi, who's famed for her gossiping talents, preceded to twist the tale so much that by the time Faramir heard it, Eowyn had been in a violent mood and had attempted to attack the two ladies. Faramir and the King had to put a stop to that rumour, but the outcome was that Faramir had banned her from using a sword anywhere in Minas Tirith unless it was her sitting room in the Stewards house. He had been quite embarrassed by the whole affair, even though the King and the rest of the men at court had found it rather funny.  
  
She also hated Minas Tirith because not only did she have to share Faramir which she didn't like, but as for the people she shared him with, she didn't mind the King and Queen, but some of the other nobles, they were insufferable.  
  
Dinner with Queen Arwen, her thoughts returned to normal with a jolt, she called her maid and walked out of the room to pick her dress for this evening 


	2. new beginnings

Faramir shut the door quietly and smiled to himself. Poor Eowyn he thought, knowing how much she despised the Ladies at court. Still, tomorrow they would be in Emyn Arnen. He was glad he had kept that secret from her, he'd been planning it for about two weeks now, hence all the long meetings with the King, so that he could cover all the topics they needed to discuss so that he could be with Eowyn. He'd already planned how they would spend their time there. Eowyn loved to ride, but never got much chance while at Minas Tirith, unless it was side-saddle which she found clumsy. She also found the Gondor horses to be less well bred than the Rohan ones, so Faramir had written to her brother, Eomer King and asked for a new horse, in the hope of cheering Eowyn up and reminding her of home. So he had planned to take her on riding days all over Ithilien, just like when they were first married. His reason for doing this was not only to spend time with her, but also to show her some safe riding routes in the hope that she would be slightly happier when they had children and he wanted her to live in Emyn Arnen the whole time. After the horrible memories he had of growing up in the Stewards House, he didn't want his children growing up there. Yes, it would probably was away some of the bad memories, like walking down the hall passed his father's study, hoping that he wouldn't be noticed. He still couldn't go in to that room without remembering the view he could see from the window every time his father hit him, trying to concentrate of the Pelennor fields instead of the pain. But also, for every new happy memory he had, there would be and old sad memory its place, which wasn't what he wanted. He had a new house in Emyn Arnen, his new world that he had created with Eowyn, and that was were he wanted to create the new memories, only he would use the Stewards House, unless the family came to Minas Tirith during celebrations and ceremonies and state business. It would be their second home, not their main one. He hoped Eowyn wouldn't mind.  
  
"Good afternoon, my Lord Steward."  
  
Faramir came to his senses and realised that some home and without knowing it, he had managed to get from his home to the White Tower. He nodded at the guard and walked through the open door.  
  
"Ah Lord Faramir, here you are," King Elessar looked up from the table at which he sat.  
  
' My apologies for calling you here, but I realised after you had left earlier that we had not gone over the plans for the new water system on level 3. Since you are leaving for Emyn Arnen tomorrow I wanted to sort this tonight. I hope I am not putting you out, or Lady Eowyn?' Faramir laughed,  
  
"No of course not, Eowyn is looking forward to dinner with the Queen, it will be the last time they see it each other for a month so they will probably be up talking as long as we are!"  
  
"I gather from that statement that you have informed your wife of the plans to return to Emyn Arnen then?" said Elessar as he beckoned to Faramir to sit down.  
  
"Yes sire, I told her this afternoon."  
  
He smiled at the memory, he could remember the last time that Eowyn has been so excited about something, maybe he should make more gestures of love and arrange more surprises. He knew that she loved him, but he also knew that, however small they were, she still had some feelings for the King. He wanted her whole heart, most of it wasn't enough, maybe pleasing her and making her life more exciting would help. It may also stop her missing the life of a shield maiden. 'The wild maiden of Rohan' as she had been called by court gossips was tamed slightly, but not completely, Faramir knew there were days when she missed her old life and the freedom it gave her. He hoped that eventually having a child would help solve that, in his experience, having children had mellowed even the wildest women. Still, that didn't look very likely, seven months of marriage and still no sign of a child. He sighed and then turned his mind to the matter at hand, the new water system on level 3.  
  
"Well, that just about concludes our business for tonight." King Elessar began to fold up the plans,  
  
"now all I have is to tell you of my plans for you. Now that we are planning a new town in Ithilien, I need someone to oversee it. The site it but an hours ride from your house at Emyn Arnen and since you take great delight in architecture and seem to prefer spending time in Emyn Arnen, as does your wife, I have decided that I shall give you control over the project. I will of course expect you back for the anniversary of my coronation, but apart from that, I don't expect to see you much in the White City for much of the next four or five years, save for a few social visits and when I desire your council. Does this suit you?"  
  
Faramir was speechless, that suited him perfectly, now he wouldn't have to worry about Eowyn's reaction to staying in Emyn Arnen without him, and they could continue to build their own world without disturbance. This was wonderful news.  
  
"I would be delighted to accept your offer, and I'm sure that Eowyn will not disagree with me. I will, of course, expect a few Royal Visits from King Elessar and Queen Arwen, not just a formal visit to oversee progress, but as friends."  
  
"We would be delighted to accept your offer. And now I will say farewell, as it is late and we are both tired, I hope you enjoy your stay at Emyn Arnen and I look forward to your return for the celebrations in a months time."  
  
He nodded and left the room. Faramir turned to leave, he wanted to return to the Stewards house quickly and tell Eowyn the good news. He could see no downside to this new appointment. Not only did he not really have to stay in the Stewards House, meaning that he was not faced with past fears everyday, but now that they lived in Emyn Arnen, Eowyn could ride as she pleased, practise her sword techniques without worrying about the scandal she was causing, not that she did anyway. This should please her more he hoped, it also meant that he could treat her as an equal. At court, customs dictated how much of an influence she had on his work, and it wasn't very much. This had been very trying for her since she had grown up giving her opinions on matters concerning the kingdom, and now she was being excluded. Well not any more, Ithilien was his land, and under his control, so he would dictate the customs. If the Steward can make the rules, he can break the rules too.  
  
He entered their bedchamber to find Eowyn with her nightgown pulled up to above her waist, examining her tummy in the mirror. She stopped as soon as he entered and let the nightgown drop, looking guilty. Faramir guessed that there were a possible two reasons why she was doing that,  
  
"If your worried about your figure, don't be, its perfect, and if your hoping for a child, then perhaps we should go to bed now and realise that hope."  
  
He gave her a playful smile, hoping it was the second reason, he'd been wanting her all day, ever since the encounter in her study and very soon he was going to have her, but all this thought did was to fuel his desire for her. She smiled back at him, but not in the cheeky way she did when she was about to have sex with him,  
  
"Your too late my Lord, the hope as already been realised."  
  
It took this statement a moment to sink in, Eowyn just stood watching him as the smile spread over his face. She couldn't mean that she was pregnant? Was he really going to be a father?  
  
"Eowyn" he whispered as he crossed the room and pulled her into his arms and held her as they both began to cry from happiness. 


	3. Names and Places

Eowyn watched the last of the belongings that she wanted to take to Emyn Arnen being loaded on to a cart. She was tired from staying up till late last night, or was it earlier this morning when she and Faramir had finally fallen asleep. They had been talking about the new baby when they finally stopped crying. Eowyn had never believed that someone could cry from happiness, she did now. Faramir had been so excited, the last time she had seen him this excited was when she had agreed to marry him. She had wanted to know where they would bring the children up, since she knew of his dislike of the Stewards House, it was then that he had remembered to tell her about his new post. This had made her ecstatic. She had been worrying about whether the Ladies at court would offer her 'helpful' advice and take over her life. Now she didn't have to worry about that, it would also mean that Faramir would be with her during her confinement, which would be at Emyn Arnen. They had also been suggesting names for the child; they had no problem on deciding a boys name, Eldacar, but the disagreement came while deciding on a girls name. Eowyn had wanted Theodwyn after her mother, while Faramir wanted Finduilas after his. In the end, after a long debate, they chose neither of those names, but settled for Frealaf, the first queen of Rohan.  
  
"Ready Eowyn?" Faramir mounted his horse, a jet black stallion which had been a present from her brother Eomer, as it was the tradition for the bride-to-be's brother to welcome her betrothed to the family through the gift of a new horse. She smiled up at him,  
  
"Of course." She replied and mounted her horse, Deor, he was getting rather old and tired now, she needed a new one, still, there was no point getting one until after the birth. She saw him take a last look at the Stewards House, it was no longer his home, just a house he kept in the city, full of sad memories and the past.  
  
"Come darling," she whispered softly to him. "We have our house in Emyn Arnen, a new world for just us, do not trouble yourself with past fears and memories. We have a new future with our baby ahead of us. So let everything that has happened there go and lets start our new life." He stared at her for a moment, then he smiled.  
  
"Yes," he replied, "lets." He kissed her gently then turned his horse around and rode off without looking back. 


	4. A hard decision

Faramir paced the hall outside Eowyn's bedroom, damn the customs, he wanted to be at her side through the birth. He had already tried to enter the room several times but had been stopped each time. He leant against the wall and buried his head in his hands as another scream emerged from the bedroom. For all that they wanted children; the birth was a horrible process to go through, he knew Eowyn was suffering, which caused him pain because he could not help her. Still, he thanked the Valar that he had been in Emyn Arnen with Eowyn during her confinement; it had meant that he had been there for every movement of the baby. He had soothed Eowyn when she was tired and had back ache, and it meant that he could be at her side immediately after the birth, for she had gone in to labour 3 weeks earlier. He winced as he heard another scream.  
  
The last 6 months had been very tough for both of them, Eowyn had struggled with the restrictions that being pregnant had made on her life, she hadn't ridden her horse for over two months and had found that sword practise caused her back to ache. It had been hard for Faramir too, because he had had to deal with her moods and begin his new duties, which were demanding and quite tiring.  
  
Eowyn's moods had become less frequent over the past month; she seemed to have mellowed with the impending arrival of their first child. He had worried about her at first, unsure of whether she really did want a child or not? After all, she had only just been getting used to what was expected of her as a lady of Gondor, now she had to deal with what was expected from motherhood. Then he began to worry about his skills as a parent, his main fear being that he would turn into his father, would he be too strict? Would his children fear him? He had started to have a recurring nightmare again, a memory of being beaten by his father, except in the dream, he was doing the beating. After that, he decided that he would love his children, he would be strict, but not violent, they would never fear him, he promised himself. He was going to protect them from all the fears of his childhood.  
  
There was another long piercing scream came from the room, except this time it was sustained. Then he heard his name called in the same high- pitched tone,  
  
"Faramir, I want Faramir!"  
  
"Eowyn" Faramir called out and ran into the bedroom. The sight made him feel weak, the bed was facing the door, and on it lay Eowyn, propped up against the pillows, her face red and glistening with sweat from pain and exertion, around her, the bed clothes were covered in blood. The physician delivering the baby took Faramir by the arm and led him gently outside, back in to the corridor.  
  
"My Lord Faramir, I have some bad news I'm afraid. The child is stuck, with the position its in, I cannot deliver it without killing Eowyn, I must cut the baby out to save its life, or I can let the Lady Eowyn give birth and she will live, but the child will die. I am sorry, if there was another way then I would gladly use it, but in 20years, I have never seen both mother and child survive this situation. Unfortunately, I must ask you which I should do? Faramir leant against the wall, how could he chose, his wife or his child?  
  
"There is nothing else.....? he whispered.  
  
"Nothing, I am sorry.'  
  
"Does Eowyn know of this?" Faramir asked.  
  
"No, past experience has shown me that women often sacrifice their lives for the child's, against the will of their husbands who often spend live the rest of their lives resenting the child. If you want my advice, you will chose your wife, this will be a hard time, but you will recover and there will be other children, you do not know this child, however much you love it already, but your know and love your wife." The physician stared sadly at Faramir. "I have seen this more often than you think, and experience shows this as the best course in a bad situation. I pray to the Valar that you both never feel this sadness again."  
  
"Thank you. I need a moment to think, if you wouldn't mind? Faramir sat on the chair and rested his head in his hands.  
  
"Of course, I will come back in a few minutes", the physician walked back in to the room where either Faramir's wife or child was about to die  
  
All of Faramir's memories of Eowyn were flashing through his head. The look of pure joy on her face as she has walked up the aisle on their wedding day. The determination she showed everytime she raced him on her horse. If he let her die, he would never forgive himself. He began to cry, the thought of not waking up beside her, or being able to talk to her ever again made him feel sick. He couldn't let her die, but how could he kill his child, something made of both him and Eowyn. And if he did save it what then, he couldn't be a mother as well, no child should have to live without a mother - he had, but he had always missed her. Perhaps the physician was right, there would be other children, they would get through this. Eowyn would be devastated, but she would see that he had made the right choice, when the pain had gone.  
  
He stood up, wiping his tears, and went to save his wife. 


End file.
